Today: Remember George

I was thinking about my (very) old friend George this week and wondered what he was up to these days. During the three years I worked in Rhode Island, George’s frequent visits to the office stood out as definite highlights. We’d talk (or more accurately, he’d talk and I’d listen) for a while and then he’d be off to accomplish any great number of things. And all before noon.

A pioneer in the cable television industry, George hosted a weekly show on a very formal set (think studded leather chairs and giant floor plants) where he would interview community members about local events and programs. Toward the end of my tenure in RI, George asked if I would be a guest on the show.

I think we were supposed to be talking business, but I found myself talking about my “studies” at BC and what I liked most about working in the historic statehouse that George had been instrumental in restoring. I think, though surely this was not my on-camera answer, what I liked most was spending time with him. And then he asked when I was going to go ahead and get married already.

I remember taking a group of school children for a walking tour (they were learning about historic architecture) and when we bumped into George outside the bagel shop, he stayed with the group until every last fourth grader had his autograph. Well into his eighties at the time, his energy rivaled that of the children. A few nights later I would see him, dressed in a tux, holding court at a fund raiser for our building. No one could captivate an audience quite like George. As I approached, he took a step back and bowed deeply. He was an old school gentleman.

My last trip down there was to celebrate the courthouse being renamed in George’s honor. I finally wrote that note I’d been meaning to write about how much I appreciated him. He congratulated me and Nick on being engaged. We weren’t (and had only been dating a few months), but he’s not the kind of person you correct. Like Mr. Frederickson in his floating house, George had lived a life. He had wisdom to impart and I was intent on soaking it all in.

George passed away this Sunday at the age of eighty-nine, and after such a full, accomplished eighty-nine years, I’m sure he left with few regrets. I only wish I checked up on him sooner.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Convince anyone and everyone to go see Pixar’s Up.

How do  you toast your friends who have gone ahead?  Have you ever been on local television?  Do tell!

[Photo: www.movietrailertalk.com]